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  • IPL season 7 auction kicks off with a bang

    IPL season 7 auction kicks off with a bang

    MUMBAI: The stage is set for history to be rewritten. This time around the maximum number of players will be going under the hammer with 514 players in the pool – 219 capped players (169 Indians / 50 overseas) and 292 uncapped players (255 Indians / 37 overseas).

     

    IPL’s official auctioneer Richard Madley says: “The first IPL auction in Mumbai which was held just six years ago but feels like it was held 600 years ago, no one knew what would go down on that day at the Oberoi hotel; it was a historic day for cricket and in my point of view an historic day for auctioning. Today is going to be no different in Bengaluru”

     

    This year’s auction witnessed a full house of the regulars from the franchises. The likes of Ness Wadia and Priety Zinta from the Kings XI Punjab camp; Tom Moody, VVS Laxman and Krishnamachari Srikkanth from Sunrisers Hyderabad; Kolkata Knight Riders is present in full strength with CEO Venky Mysore, Jay Mehta and Juhi Chawla.

     

    Royal Challengers Banglore owner Vijay Mallya was seen sporting a cool Mohawk hairstyle and was beaming after getting Yuvraj Singh for his team for a whopping Rs 14 crore, the highest bid in the morning session.

     

    Mumbai Indians is represented by Nita Ambani and Anil Kumble, Rajhastan Royals has Rahul Dravid at the table along with the team management.

     

    The ones missing from the auction this time are Rajasthan Royals’ Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty and CSK’s Gurunath Meiyappan after being in the news for all the wrong reasons.

     

    This is the first time uncapped Indian players have earned a spot on the auction list. Also, until last year, auctions were done in dollars. Beginning this year until 2017, all auctions will be carried out in Indian rupees. The cap on players’ cumulative salary has got reduced to Rs 60 crore this year from Rs 75 crore. Though the highest base price of players will continue to be at Rs 2 crore ($400,000 last year).

     

    This year’s auction also witnesses franchises exercise the right to match a bid, or use the joker card. Under this provision, a franchise can bid for a player who was in its squad in 2013, but wasn’t retained subsequently. The number of joker cards available with the team depends on the number of players retained – if a team doesn’t retain a single player, it can exercise the right to match three times. If a team retains five players, it can exercise it just once.

     

    Delhi Daredevils, which hasn’t retained any of its existing players, is certainly going to be the most aggressive. Most other teams have retained at least a couple of in-form players. The Delhi franchise has the entire salary amount of Rs 60 intact.

  • IPL6: Controversies drag down average TVRs to lowest in history

    IPL6: Controversies drag down average TVRs to lowest in history

    MUMBAI: The verdict is out and it clearly shows that this time around the cash rich league which was in the news for all the wrong reasons appears to be losing its brand value.

    The tournament – if ratings made available to indiantelevision.com by a channel are to be believed – generated an average cumulative (both Max and Sony Six) TVR of 3.1 in Hindi speaking markets (HSM) and 3 in C&S 4+ all India. This was much lower than the 3.45 HSM average TVR it reported last year, and probably the lowest in its six year history. In 2010, the average TVR was 4.65, and in the inaugural year the number was 4.81 TVR.

    There is much more in store. The IPL final between CSK vs MI also saw a dip in ratings this year as compared to last year. It recorded a TVR of 5.4 on Max alone; the cume rating (with Six and Max included) looks a lot more respectable at 7.3 for HSM and 6.9 all India CS 4+.

    As a comparative, the 2012 final between KKR and CSK registered a TVR of 8.92; the 2011 final between RCB and CSK saw a 6.44 TVR; the 2010 final between MI and CSK reported 10.48; the 2009 final between DC and RCB ran up a 9.92 TVR and finally the first season final between RR and CSK had a very healthy rating of 9.81 (The ratings for the previous year‘s are for Max only and do not include Six as there was no such channel in the Sony Entertainment Network then).

    What goes? Is the loaded with money league beginning to sag? Madison Media CEO Karthik Lakshminarayan believes it is. “The brand and the image of the IPL has definitely taken a beating. The rating numbers that have been thrown up are very surprising.”

    “The IPL ratings have certainly not come up to our expectations,” expounds Vivaki Exchange CEO Mona Jain. “The controversy surrounding the IPL this time around also is a cause for the same.”

    Max executive VP & business head Neeraj Vyas says the Sony Network management is fairly satisfied with the ratings the tournament has generated.

    “I am not over the moon,” he expresses. “But I am fairly satisfied. Let me state that it would be grossly unfair to compare this year‘s ratings with earlier years. It would be rather silly. Remember LC1 has been given a 25 per cent weightage by TAM earlier this year. These LC1 towns have power cuts 12-14 hours a day. Then the TAM universe changed about a month or so ago. All these factors make it appear as if you are comparing watermelons and lemons.”

    “Last year the tournament witnessed a strong viewership base of 162 million, we had managed to increase that number to 176 million viewers halfway into the tournament and it could well have crossed the 200 million barrier had TAM not changed its universe a month ago on 5 May,” he further states.

    Other views that are being put forth to explain the dip in ratings include the fact that ennui is developing among cricket watchers on account of the cricket glut on TV.

    Another view is that the spot-fixing controversy put off many viewers from the action on the field.

    The third perspective that is being silently spoken of is that the switch off and switch on in phase I and II of the government mandated cable digitisation process has dampened the ratings.

    Be that as it may, it remains to be seen whether advertisers‘ annoyance with lower ratings leads to any other action from their side.

  • CSK & RCB have the most loyal fan base across IPL teams: Ormax Trac20

    CSK & RCB have the most loyal fan base across IPL teams: Ormax Trac20

    Mumbai: A sizeable and loyal fan base is critical to the business plans of any sporting club or franchise. According to the findings of Ormax Trac20, a syndicated research being conducted by Ormax Media during the sixth edition of IPL, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have the most sizeable base of loyal fans in their respective markets, given them an advantage over the other teams in the league.

    While CSK led the loyalty chart even in the pre-phase of the research conducted before the IPL started in March, RCB have shown a significant increase in their loyalty score during this edition of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Riders are a close no. 3, followed by Mumbai Indians at no. 4.

    Commenting on the results, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO – Ormax Media, said: "Team loyalty is important for advertisers, as sponsoring a team that has a higher loyal fan base will lead to a higher marketing ROI. In our understanding, three factors contribute to team loyalty: consistency of performance, star players and team stability over years. CSK have a huge advantage across these three factors."

    The Ormax Trac20 research is being conducted across 11 cities, in three phases, with a total sample size of 9,000. The research is targeted at advertisers considering IPL or cricket in their marketing plans. The research is tracking the performance of the various brands advertising during this year's IPL, both in terms of recall and effectiveness.

  • IPL’s brand value up by 4%; CSK replaces Mumbai as the most valuable: Brand Finance

    MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL)‘s brand value has grown for the first time in four years to $3.03 billion, up from $2.92 billion last year a rise of four per cent. But it is still a far cry from $4.13 billion in 2010. The nine franchisees‘ total brand value has reached $325.8 million this year from $321.12 million last year.

    The bigger question though is whether the league is fit for the long run. Also sweeping ethical infractions under the carpet is not an option according to a brand valuation report on the IPL made by consulting firm Brand Finance. The lacunae in transparency and accountability in the IPL ecosystem which drives trust and alignment amongst stakeholders remains to be addressed in full measure and lies beneath the waters as a significant unmitigated risk.

    The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the most valuable IPL franchise. Their value has grown to $45.42 million up slightly from $45.28 million last year. There are three pillars that brand finance used for evaluating a franchises‘ brand value – cricket excellence, corporate governance and marketing excellence and commercial strategy. India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh noted that the franchise aims to be active throughout the year. “”Our aim is that at least every second month there should be an activity. The Chennai Super Kings cannot be just about two months. So we do things across the year that touches different segments of society”.

    CSK‘s aim is to look at the bigger picture and be a sports brand by going beyond just cricket. “We feel that it is important that when the CSK brand engages with constituents it should not be only about cricket. This way CSK will be built as a sports brand” said Singh.

    The franchise that has grown the most in value has been the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which saw a 15.2 per cent jump to $44.98 million from $39.03 million last year putting it in second spot compared to fourth last year. In an interview with Indiantelevision.com KKR CEO Venky Mysore said that the aim over the past two years had been to function like a corporate. That meant bringing in systems and processes and having more transparency. The last two years have seen a dramatic change in fortune of the franchise on the field which has translated into better off the field perception and value.

    On the other hand the brand value of Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore has fallen. The Mukesh Ambani owned franchise has seen its value fall to $44.62 million from $48.21 million last year. Last year it was in the top spot. Nonetheless Brand Finance maintains that the franchise along with CSK and KKR is leading in terms of value creation. Meanwhile the Vijay Mallya owned franchise‘s value has fallen to 37.81 million from $41.15 million but it nonetheless holds a lot of promise. These are the only two franchises whose brand value has fallen.

    Delhi Daredevils which is currently struggling on the field holds promise as their brand value jump to $34.22 million from 32.19 million last year. The new franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, owned by Sun TV is valued at $31.49 million and also holds promise.

    Kings XI Punjab which has sorted out its legal issues with the BCCI saw a 7.4 per cent jump in value to $30.78 million from $28.68 million. But Brand Finance notes that it continues struggling to create value. The franchise expects that now that things are sorted out the future will be better in terms of areas like sponsorship revenue. The franchises CEO Colonel Arvinder Singh says that all its marketing programmes as well as media and social interactions are positioned keeping in mind the loyal Punjabi Fan. “We have concentrated on being a fan centric team not only through regular engagement but also through on ground social programs such as women‘s empowerment. It is this fan centric approach that has resulted in an increase in brand value for the franchise. We shall also be doing a lot more in this field to further enhance our brand value.”

    The Sahara owned Pune Warriors India‘s brand value is also struggling. Its brand value is up marginally by two per cent to $29.45 million. The Rajasthan Royals continue to languish in last position with their value being practically flat at $27.05 million.

    Brand Finance global strategy director M Unni Krishnan said that after having witnessed a steep fall in its long-term value of over a billion dollars from its peak, IPL‘s trust capital seems to hold steady at $3.03 billion compared to $2.9 billion last year.

    “The relative stability at these lower levels can be largely attributed to efforts being put in by the BCCI as well as the franchisees to bring consistency in the cricketing product enhance fan engagement and loyalty through wide spread marketing efforts. The learning curve has been steep and some clubs seem to have cracked the code across various marketing, cricketing and business performance drivers.”

    He adds that with the franchisees entering the sixth year of its operations, they face an acid test of commercial sustenance. Their destiny is intertwined with the IPL‘s as a whole.

    He noted that the league is trying to claw its way back with operational improvements. But the trust flows with stakeholders will eventually determine the health of the IPL‘s long-term cash flows. He warns that while the short-term operational improvements are encouraging, they need to be aligned to the strategic canvas of what IPL really means for the emerging Indian identity and cricket as an international sport which can spread opportunity and value in a fair and equitable way.

    “IPL is a means towards this greater good and not an end in itself. Whilst all organisations go through highs and lows the real question to be asked is one of sustainability and endurance. Is IPL able to rise to its higher calling and is it fit for the long run?”

  • Pepsi’s new campaign brings Chris Gayle and Priyanka Chopra together

    MUMBAI: Pepsi has launched a new leg of its ‘Oh Yes Abhi‘ campaign with Chris Gayle and Priyanka Chopra.

    The new ad takes forward the insight of fans supporting multiple teams and the creative theme is, ‘Yeh Team Kabhi Toh Woh Team Kabhi, Par Pepsi Oh Yes Abhi!‘

    The concept of the television commercial is credited to Taproot India.

    The ad film is produced by Corcoise Films while Prasoon Pandey has directed it.

    PepsiCo India senior director – marketing (Colas, Juices & Hydration) Homi Battiwalla said, “Our marketing and activation plans launched around the Pepsi IPL have received an excellent response from consumers and the excitement is only slated to build further as the tournament progresses. The second leg of our on-air campaign featuring Chris Gayle and Priyanka Chopra takes forward the insight of fans‘ multiple team loyalties and presents it with an irreverent Pepsi twist. We have brought together two of the brightest stars from Bollywood and cricket in this film and are confident that the consumers will enjoy it”.

    In the new Pepsi IPL commercial Gayle manages to convince Chopra, a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fan, to support his team but with a little help from Pepsi. Chopra plays an over-the-top spiritual diva in the commercial who leads her followers to pray for CSK win but ends up supporting Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) due to the Gayle-effect and the irrepressible temptation of a chilled Pepsi.

    The brand is also launching ‘The Pepsi World App‘, a mobile application available across android and IOS devices which gives the user access to live social feeds, lets them play games to win access to the Pepsi VIP Box and also allows them to download wallpapers/ringtones.

  • CSK eyes 15-20 per cent revenue growth from IPL 6

    MUMBAI: The economic slowdown notwithstanding, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is eyeing a revenue growth of 15-20 per cent.

    The franchise has a roster of 16 sponsors which includes Nissan and VGN who came on-board this year.

    “We expect revenue growth of 15-20 per cent led to an extent by sponsorship. We have a roster of 16 sponsors this year,” says India Cements joint president marketing Rakesh Singh.

    Apart from KKR, CSK has been the only franchise whose lead sponsor Aircel has continued with the team since the inception of IPL. The franchise had also de-risked itself from slowdown by doing long-term deals.

    “The good news for us is that brands have stayed on with us through the years. Aircel has been there with us from day one. Deals that we do are generally for three years and after that they get renewed,” avers Singh.

    Singh adds that local sponsorship and central revenue put together account for 75-80 per cent of CSK‘s total revenue which last year was said to be around Rs. 1.5 billion.

    “Ticket sales account for 15-20 per cent. This year there will be more seating as three more stands have opened. So there is more capacity which we expect will lead to more revenue. Licensing and merchandising accounts for around five per cent but we expect this area to grow by 30-35 per cent for us this season as we are being more aggressive on this front,” reveals Singh.

    The franchise has launched cricket kits this year. The main focus is Tamil Nadu. The team has tied up with Switcher, a European company owned by Tirupur-based PGC for merchandise.

    The cricket gear for all age groups will be available from 15 April. These kits will include kit bags, batting gloves, leg-guard, thigh-guard, arm pad, abdomen guard and English willow bats will be sold through retail sports stores, gift shops and whole sale stores in Tamil Nadu ranging from Rs. 3800 to Rs 9900.

    CSK has also launching their new range of merchandise strategically dividing them into categories such as fan gear and fashion wear. The new range includes school bags, sippers, and key chains along with a variety of home, office products and other accessories.

    “Our aim is that at least every second month there should be an activity. The Chennai Super Kings cannot be just about two months. So we do things across the year that touches different segments of society,” adds Singh.

    As part of its on-ground activities, CSK had organised a multi discipline tournament called Super Cup before the IPL involving corporates. The franchise had also organised a cricket event with schools a few months to find a CSK junior team. It had also associated with a chess tourney as the game is very popular in Tamil Nadu.

    “We feel that it is important that when the CSK brand engages with constituents it should not be only about cricket. This way CSK will be built as a sports brand,” explains Singh.

    For fans, there is a loyalty programme called Kings Club which has an estimated 18,000 paid members. They get to avail of special offers like meet and greet events with players, match tickets etc.

  • Aircel launches marketing campaign with CSK for IPL 2013

    MUMBAI: Aircel, the official sponsor of Chennai Super Kings team, has launched the ‘Kaun Dega Man of the Match‘ contest for all its prepaid and postpaid subscribers.

    The contest gives three lucky winners a rare opportunity to hand over the ‘Man of the Match’ award live in front of millions of cricket fans, in any one of the Chennai Super Kings game.

    An all-expenses paid offer, Aircel intends to share this unique opportunity and experience with its new as well as existing subscribers (both prepaid and post-paid).

    All Aircel’s existing and new pre-paid subscribers can buy a connection and recharge it with Rs 100 or above to be eligible for participation to the contest. However, all its existing and new post-paid customers are automatically eligible to participate in this contest.

    Apart from the giving of the ‘Man of the Match’ award, the contest also offers eight lucky winners, an exciting chance to meet the Chennai Super Kings team to their city.

    Other interesting offers by Aircel for its valuable subscribers for IPL include: CSK players R. Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Murali Vijay talk to Aircel subscribers via Celeb Chat, a specially developed CSK app with updated information on the team, and a newly created Video Scorecard for an innovative presentation of scores along with videos of key events.

    Speaking at the occasion, Aircel CMO Anupam Vasudev said, “Aircel is proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious and successful cricket teams of the IPL – Chennai Super Kings. Our partnership with CSK aims to encourage cricket and provide a great platform for the new crop of talent to shape up into champions of future. Through our association with CSK, we offer our customers something ‘Extra’ like tickets, CSK merchandise and innovative consumer engagement programs along with the opportunity to witness and experience the best international cricket with some top ranking Indian and international players.”

    Tapping into the digital world to create buzz around CSK in the social media community, Aircel also launched the “Blogger Hunt” contest. The contest gives one winner a unique opportunity to travel with the Chennai Super Kings team for over 45 days wherein they would publish candid inside stories/content on the Aircel micro blogging site, on the Facebook and the Twitter page.

  • CSK lets fans name its mascot

    CSK lets fans name its mascot

    MUMBAI: In its endeavour to engage its ever-growing fan base, Indian premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has launched a fan engagement contest for the upcoming season. For the first time, we see a club allowing young fans to come up with a ‘cool and exciting‘ name for their mascot.

    CSK‘s mascot is a young lion, symbolising the city’s fighting spirit and winning attitude. Even though it has been a long standing fixture in the CSK brand for over four years now, it has remained nameless for all these years. From cheering the team on the sidelines, to colouring the field yellow celebrating victory, the mascot is now going to be a more visible member of the team with the responsibility of entertaining young and old fans who watch the match in the stadium.

    Through this contest fans are encouraged to participate in giving a name to the mascot that is not only cool but is reflective of the attitude of the city and the team it stands for. In order to help the fans, there are some likes and dislikes that have been mentioned, that will help them in naming the lion.

    CSK joint president marketing Rakesh Singh said, “A mascot is a platform to engage with our young fans. It allows a certain freedom to bring humour and sarcasm into a serious sports brand. Moreover, It can have a opinion on anything and everything and put a smile on faces. We are excited to get our young fans involved in the naming of their favorite mascot and hope that we will receive great response from them. The lucky winner, will not only have a chance to name the lion, but also receive a host of goodies from the team. 10 runners up will win post cards jointly autographed by the captain M.S.Dhoni and the mascot.”

    The contest is for fans aged between 4 – 15 years and will be conducted through SMS and online entries. The last date of entry for the contest would be 28 February.